The Singer's Guide to German Diction

Description

The Singer's Guide to German Diction is the essential foundation for a complete course in German diction for singers, vocal coaches, choral conductors, and anyone wishing to learn the proper pronunciation of High German. Written by Valentin Lanzrein and Richard Cross, who each have years of experience on stage, in the voice studio, and in the diction classroom, it provides an all-encompassing and versatile reference for the rules of German diction and their exceptions. Featuring an easily navigable format that uses tables and charts to support a visual understanding of the text, this guide allows the reader to find information on diction rules and quick help with the formation of each sound. It also places an emphasis on exceptions to the rules, which are crucial in learning the proper pronunciation of any language. Exceptions are not only provided with the diction rules, but are also gathered in a specific section for ease of reference. A glossary of difficult words, names, and exceptions is provided in the appendix, along with a section on Latin pronounced in the German manner. Extensive pronunciation exercises, as well as IPA transcription worksheets and short examples from the vocal literature, are used for practical application of the diction rules, and feature musical exercises drawn from art song, opera, and oratorio. The book's companion website supplements these musical exercises with high-quality audio clips recorded by leading professional singers, providing an invaluable resource for independent study. A comprehensive companion for teachers, students, and singers alike, The Singer's Guide to German Diction brings German diction to life through its well-structured system of practice and reference materials. Cover The Singer's Guide to German Diction Copyright Contents Preface Acknowledgments About the Companion Website The Singer's Guide to German Diction 1. FUNDAMENTALS CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE GERMAN LANGUAGE: WHERE IT CAME FROM INTERNATIONAL PHONETIC ALPHABET CHAPTER 2. WORD STRUCTURE 2.1 WORD STEM Strong Verbs Plural Forms of Nouns 2.2 PREFIXES Unstressed Prefixes Stressed Prefixes Prefixes That Can Be Stressed or Unstressed Prefixes with an Irregular Stress Pattern 2.3 SUFFIXES 2.4 GRAMMATICAL ENDINGS Conjugation Conjugation Table: Weak (Regular) Verb Conjugation Table: Strong (Irregular) Verb Declension 2.5 COMPOUND WORDS 2.6 WORD STRESS Stress in Words of Non-Germanic Origin 2. VOWELS CHAPTER 3. INTRODUCTION TO VOWELS VOWEL CHART VOWEL LENGTH NEUTRAL VOWELS—SCHWA AND VOCALIC-R VOWEL ONSET—GLOTTAL SEPARATION CHAPTER 4. MONOPHTHONGS I: TONGUE VOWELS 4.1 LONG AND CLOSED [iː], NON-SYLLABIC [i]̯ , SHORT AND OPEN [ɪ] Exercises for [iː], [i], [i̯], and [ɪ] EXERCISE 4.1.1 Medial [iː] and [ɪ] EXERCISE 4.1.2 Initial [hiː], [hɪ] and [ǀiː], [ǀɪ] EXERCISE 4.1.3 Initial [ǀiː] and [ǀɪ] EXERCISE 4.1.4 Applying the Pronunciation Rules for [iː], [i], [i̯], [ɪ] 4.2 LONG AND CLOSED [eː], LONG AND OPEN [Ɛː], SHORT AND OPEN [Ɛ], SCHWA [Ə] Exercises for [eː], [e], [ɛː], [ɛ], and [ə] EXERCISE 4.2.1 Medial [eː], [ɛː], and [ɛ] EXERCISE 4.2.2 Initial [heː],[hɛ]and [ǀeː],[ǀɛ] EXERCISE 4.2.3 Initial [ǀeː] and [ǀɛ] EXERCISE 4.2.4 Medial [iː] and [eː] EXERCISE 4.2.5 Applying the pronunciation rules for [eː],[e],[ɛː],[ɛ],[ə] 4.3 LONG AND OPEN [Ɑː], SHORT AND CLOSED [a] Exercises for [ɑː] and [a] EXERCISE 4.3.1 Medial [ɑː] and [a] EXERCISE 4.3.2 Medial [ɑː] and [ɛː] EXERCISE 4.3.3 Medial [a] and [ɛ] EXERCISE 4.3.4 Initial [ha] and [ǀa] EXERCISE 4.3.5 Initial [ǀɑː] and [ǀa] EXERCISE 4.3.6 Applying the Pronunciation Rules for [ɑː] and [a] CHAPTER 5. MONOPHTHONGS II: LIPVOWELS Lip Vowels 5.2 LONG AND CLOSED [uː], SHORT AND OPEN [ʊ] Exercises for [uː], [u], and [ʊ] EXERCISE 5.2.1 Medial [uː] and [ʊ] EXERCISE 5.2.2 Medial and initial [uː] and [oː] EXERCISE 5.2.3 Medial [ʊ] and [ɔ] EXERCISE 5.2.4 Initial [huː], [hʊ], and [ǀuː]; [ǀʊ] EXERCISE 5.2.5 Initial [ǀuː] and [ǀʊ] EXERCISE 5.2.6 Applying the Pronunciation Rules for [uː], [u], and [ʊ] 5.1 LONG AND CLOSED [oː], SHORT AND OPEN [ɔ] Exercises for [oː], [o], and [ɔ] EXERCISE 5.1.1 Medial [oː] and [ɔ] EXERCISE 5.1.2 Medial [oː] and [ɑː] EXERCISE 5.1.3 Medial [ɔ] and [a] EXERCISE 5.1.4 Initial [hoː] and [ǀoː] and Initial [hɔ] and [ǀɔ] EXERCISE 5.1.5 Initial [ǀoː] and [ǀɔ] EXERCISE 5.1.6 Applying the Pronunciation Rules for [oː], [o], and [ɔ] CHAPTER 6. MONOPHTHONGS III: MIXED VOWELS 6.1 LONG AND CLOSED [øː], SHORT AND OPEN [oe] Exercises for [øː] and [oe] EXERCISE 6.1.1 Medial [eː] and [øː] EXERCISE 6.1.2 Medial [ɛ] and [oe] EXERCISE 6.1.3 Medial [oː] and [øː] EXERCISE 6.1.4 Medial and initial [ɔ]and [oe] EXERCISE 6.1.5 Medial [øː]and [oe] EXERCISE 6.1.6 Initial [høː]and [ǀøː] EXERCISE 6.1.7 Initial [ǀøː]and [ǀoe] EXERCISE 6.1.8 Medial and initial [øː]and [yː] EXERCISE 6.1.9 Medial [oe]and [ʏ] EXERCISE 6.1.10 Applying the Pronunciation Rules for [øː]and [oe] 6.2 LONG AND CLOSED [Yː], SHORT AND OPEN [ʏ] Exercises for [yː] and [ʏ] EXERCISE 6.2.1 Medial [iː] and [yː] EXERCISE 6.2.2 Medial [ɪ] and [ʏ] EXERCISE 6.2.3 Medial [uː] and [yː] EXERCISE 6.2.4 Medial [ʊ] and [ʏ] EXERCISE 6.2.5 Medial [yː] and [ʏ] EXERCISE 6.2.6 Initial [hyː] and [ǀyː] EXERCISE 6.2.7 Initial [ǀyː] and [ǀʏ] EXERCISE 6.2.8 Medial [yː] and [øː] EXERCISE 6.2.9 Medial [ʏ] and [oe] EXERCISE 6.2.10 Applying the Pronunciation Rules for [yː], [y], and [ʏ] CHAPTER 7. DIPHTHONGS 7.1 DIPHTHONGS [a͡e], [ɑ͡o], AND [ɔ͡ø] Exercises for [a͡e], [ɑ͡o], and [ɔ͡ø] EXERCISE 7.1.1 Medial [a] and [a͡e] EXERCISE 7.1.2 Medial [ɑː] and [ɑ͡o] EXERCISE 7.1.3 Medial [ɔ] and [ɔ͡ø] EXERCISE 7.1.4 Medial [a͡e] and [ɑ͡o] EXERCISE 7.1.5 Medial [ɑ͡o] and [ɔ͡ø] EXERCISE 7.1.6 Medial [ɔ͡ø] and [a͡e] EXERCISE 7.1.7 Applying the Pronunciation Rules for [a͡e], [ɑ͡o], and [ɔ͡ø] 3. CONSONANTS CHAPTER 8. INTRODUCTION TOCONSONANTS VOICING PLACES OF ARTICULATION MANNER OF ARTICULATION Consonant Chart CONSONANT LENGTH CHAPTER 9. FRICATIVES 9.1 LABIODENTAL FRICATIVE [f] AND [v] Exercises for [f] and [v] EXERCISE 9.1.1 Initial [f] and [v] EXERCISE 9.1.2 f [f] Versus ff [f] EXERCISE 9.1.3 [f] and [f͡f] EXERCISE 9.1.4 [f͡f] and [fv] EXERCISE 9.1.5 Applying the Pronunciation Rules for [f] and [v] 9.2 ALVEOLAR FRICATIVE [s] AND [z] Exercises for [s] and [z] (see also Exercises 9.3.2–9.3.5) EXERCISE 9.2.1 Initial [s] and [z] EXERCISE 9.2.2 [s] in Single Consonants s and ß Versus Double Consonantss EXERCISE 9.2.3 Prevocalic [z] in Initial and Medial Position 9.3 PRE-PALATAL FRICATIVE [ʃ] AND [Ʒ] Exercises for [ʃ] and [ʒ] EXERCISE 9.3.1 Initial [ʃ] and [ʒ] EXERCISE 9.3.2 [st] and [ʃt] EXERCISE 9.3.3 [sp] and [ʃp] EXERCISE 9.3.4 [ʃ] and [sç] EXERCISE 9.3.5 Applying the Pronunciation Rules for [s], [z],[ʃ], and [ʒ] 9.4 PALATAL FRICATIVE [ʝ], [Ç], AND VELAR FRICATIVE [X] Exercises for [ ʝ], [ç], and [x] EXERCISE 9.4.1 Initial [ ʝ] and [ç] EXERCISE 9.4.2 Medial and Final [ç] and [x] EXERCISE 9.4.3 Final [ç] and [k] EXERCISE 9.4.4 Medial and Final [x] and [k] EXERCISE 9.4.5 Medial [ç] and [ʃ] EXERCISE 9.4.6 Applying the Pronunciation Rules for [ ʝ], [ç], and [x] 9.5 GLOTTAL FRICATIVE [h] 9.6 GLOTTAL SEPARATION [ǀ] Exercises for [h] and [ǀ] EXERCISE 9.6.1 [h] and [ǀ] EXERCISE 9.6.2 Applying the Pronunciation Rules for [h] EXERCISE 9.6.3 Applying the Pronunciation Rules for [ǀ] CHAPTER 10. PLOSIVES ASPIRATION DEVOICING 10.1 BILABIAL PLOSIVES [p] AND [b] Exercises for [p] and [b] EXERCISE 10.1.1 Initial [p] and [b] EXERCISE 10.1.2 Medial [p] and [b] EXERCISE 10.1.3 Devoiced [p] Versus Voiced [b] EXERCISE 10.1.4 Prolonged [p͡b] and [p] EXERCISE 10.1.5 Prolonged [p͡b] and [b] EXERCISE 10.1.6 Prolonged [p͡p] and [p] EXERCISE 10.1.7 Applying the Pronunciation Rules for [p] and [b] 10.2 ALVEOLAR PLOSIVES [t] AND [d] Exercises for [t] and [d] EXERCISE 10.2.1 Initial [t] and [d] EXERCISE 10.2.2 Medial [t] and [d] EXERCISE 10.2.3 Devoiced [t] Versus Voiced [d] EXERCISE 10.2.4 Prolonged [t͡d] and [t]; Prolonged [t͡d] and [d] EXERCISE 10.2.5 Prolonged [t͡t] and [t͡d] EXERCISE 10.2.6 Applying the Pronunciation Rules for [t] and [d] 10.3 VELAR PLOSIVES [k] AND [ɡ] Exercises for [k] and [ɡ] EXERCISE 10.3.1 Initial [k] and [ɡ] EXERCISE 10.3.2 Medial [k] and [ɡ] EXERCISE 10.3.3 Devoiced [k] Versus Voiced [ɡ] EXERCISE 10.3.4 Prolonged [k͡k] and [k͡ɡ] EXERCISE 10.3.5 Applying the Pronunciation Rules for [k] and [ɡ] CHAPTER 11. NASALS 11.1 BILABIAL NASAL [m] 11.2 ALVEOLAR NASAL [n] 11.3 VELAR NASAL [Ŋ] Exercises for [m], [n], and [ŋ] EXERCISE 11.3.1 Initial, Medial, and Final [m] EXERCISE 11.3.2 [mt] Combinations EXERCISE 11.3.3 Prolonged [m͡m] EXERCISE 11.3.4 Initial, Medial, and Final [n] EXERCISE 11.3.5 [nf] Combinations EXERCISE 11.3.6 [nm] Combinations EXERCISE 11.3.7 Prolonged [n͡n] EXERCISE 11.3.8 Medial and Final [ŋ] EXERCISE 11.3.9 [ŋ] Versus [ŋk] EXERCISE 11.3.10 [ŋt] Versus [ ŋkt] EXERCISE 11.3.11 [ŋ] Versus [nɡ] CHAPTER 12. LATERAL AND TRILLS 12.1 ALVEOLAR LATERAL [l] Exercises for [l] EXERCISE 12.1.1 Initial, Medial, and Final [l] EXERCISE 12.1.2 [bl], [pl], [ɡl], [kl], [fl], [ʃl] Combinations EXERCISE 12.1.3 Prolonged [l͡l] EXERCISE 12.1.4 Applying the Pronunciation Rules for [l] 12.2 ALVEOLAR TRILLS [r] AND [ɾ], VOCALIC-R [ɐ], AND UVULAR TRILL [R] Exercises for [r], [ɾ], and [ɐ] EXERCISE 12.2.1 Initial and Medial [r] EXERCISE 12.2.2 Intervocalic and Final [ɾ] EXERCISE 12.2.3 Medial [r] and [ɾ] EXERCISE 12.2.4 Final [ɾ] or [ɐ] EXERCISE 12.2.5 Final [əɾ] or [ɐ] EXERCISE 12.2.6 [ɐ] and [ə] EXERCISE 12.2.7 Prolonged [ɾ͡r] or [ɐr] EXERCISE 12.2.8 Applying the Pronunciation Rules for [r], [ɾ], and [ɐ] CHAPTER 13. AFFRICATES 13.1 AFFRICATES [p͡s], [p͡f], [t͡s], [t͡ʃ], [k͡s], AND [k͡v] Exercises for [p͡s], [p͡f], [t͡s], [t͡ʃ], [k͡s], and [k͡v] EXERCISE 13.1.1 Initial and Final [p͡s] EXERCISE 13.1.2 Initial and Medial [p͡f] EXERCISE 13.1.3 Initial and Final [t͡s] EXERCISE 13.1.4 Initial [z] and [t͡s] EXERCISE 13.1.5 Initial, Medial, and Final [t͡ʃ] EXERCISE 13.1.6 Medial and Final [k͡s] EXERCISE 13.1.7 Initial and Medial [k͡v] EXERCISE 13.1.8 Applying the Rules for [p͡s], [p͡f], [t͡s], [t͡ʃ], [k͡s], [k͡v] 4. ADVANCED DICTION PROBLEMS CHAPTER 14. EXCEPTIONS, VAGARIES, AND PROBLEM WORDS 14.1 VOWEL LENGTH EXCEPTIONS 14.2 FINAL -ie IN WORDS OF NON-GERMANIC ORIGIN 14.3 ESZETT (ß) AND VOWEL LENGTH 14.4 VOWEL LENGTH PRECEDING x 14.5 PREFIXES dar-, her-, hin-, vor- 14.6 CONSONANT PLUS l, n, OR r 14.7 ENDING -ig 14.8 CONSONANT COMBINATION ch 14.9 DIMINUTIVE ENDING -chen 14.10 FOREIGN-ORIGIN WORDS 14.11 NO RHYME OR REASON CHAPTER 15. SOUNDS FROM FOREIGN LOANWORDS 15.1 FRENCH NASALIZED VOWELS [ɛ̃], [ɑ̃], [õ], [oẽ ] 15.2 FRENCH SEMI VOWEL GLIDES [w], [ɥ] Chapter 16. German Latin Vowels Consonants The Ordinary of the Mass in German Latin An Excerpt from CARL ORFF’S Carmina Burana in German Latin APPENDIX Alphabetical Index of German Spellings List of Difficult Words, Names, and Exceptions Glossary Notes Bibliography Index